Festival billed as ‘Glastonbury of the North’ is cancelled

Katy Wheeler

A North East festival billed as the ‘Glastonbury of the North’ has been scrapped.

Announced earlier this year, the Festival on the Wall was due to bring Pet Shop Boys and The Libertines to farmland, near Horsley, Northumberland, for a weekend of entertainment in August.

They headliners were to be joined on the bill by Mark Ronson, Twin Atlantic, JP Cooper, MNEK, The Sherlocks, Calum Scott and North East rockers Maximo Park.

But, just weeks after tickets went on sale, the organisers last night took to their Facebook page to announce the fledgeling festival had been cancelled.

A statement read: “After serious consideration and with an incredibly heavy heart, we are sad to announce that Festival On The Wall has been cancelled.

“For the past two years we have put our heart and soul into creating the event that the North East deserves, showcasing everything that is great about this region. Unfortunately, several significant operational challenges have made it impossible to continue, and at this point we are left with no choice but to make this very difficult decision.

“All ticket holders will receive an automatic refund within 5 days and any questions can be answered at info@festivalonthewall.com”

In recent years, Sunderland’s Split Festival and Newcastle’s Evolution Festival came to an end due to a difficult financial climate.